Just enjoying wine, with friends, on the porch

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Tag Archives: Roblar O Pescador

This blog is written in memory of Frank Malorzo, my good-friend’s best-friend. You will be impossible to forget.

What is friendship? Simply put, it’s just connecting with others, humans are very social. We feel each other’s pain and celebrate each other’s joy. Friends inspire us to be more interesting, have more fun and to be all around better people. They also inspire shenanigans. Like Lucy and Ethel. Whether you are a ‘Lucy’ or an ‘Ethal’, having fun, being silly, and yes, participating in shenanigans with our friends is what makes our potentially mundane daily lives worth it.

Do you remember Lucy and Ethel singing about friendship? They were mad at each other for wearing the same dress during their performance and, well here, you check it out:

That’s the song I hear as I’m typing this blog. I don’t know why I tend to think of black & white television shows when I reflect on anything and everything. I guess I relate to them. Don’t we all? Life lessons – learned through situational comedy.

It’s not how we connect to friends thats important though- it may be texting during football, dancing in the sand at a beach party once a year, or spending an hour or two each week tasting wine on the Front Porch – it’s only important that we connect. Touching each other’s lives for the better, making memories – good and bad – living life & having fun.

I just stumbled on the Meaning of life! You-Are-Welcome. Tell your kids.

Our friends at home took over Front Porch Wine Tasting this week. Steve and I went to meet up with all the friends we’ve made since being a part of Grocery Outlet. Mostly other store owners, and a lot of corporate friends too. We appreciate everyone who joined Joe & Becky on their Back Porch to help us all choose the right weekend wines. Thank You!

Chris says this Chardonnay is very smooth and sweet tasting. Bob and Misty both found it to be citrusy and Becky thought she tasted pear. The label offered no ‘clues’ as to what to expect except: Lush, Vibrant & Aromatic… Think Grilled Seafood or Chicken.

On-line review: “I was pleasantly surprised by this wine, because it was a nicely balanced, creamy Chardonnay without aggressive oak flavors. It was pale straw in color, and had aromas of butter, cream, and apples. These aromas carried through into the flavors and there was a citrusy, creamy aftertaste that was pleasant and not at all artificial. This wine would be great with grilled chicken with lemon, fried chicken, or grilled halibut. But don’t underestimate the appeals of a white wine like this served with some simply munchies and an ice bucket on a Sunday afternoon.”

Becky has been trying to get me to taste this wine since we started Front Porch Wine Tasting! and I missed it… She really liked it but couldn’t remember the name, she called it fish wine because of picture on the label. Christine said this white blend is light, an enjoyable summer wine. Bob likes it dry and found it to be light and airy. Joe S. commented that, “it doesn’t taste like fish at all.” Whew! That fish pic on the label confused me too Joe, what a relief. Larry thought it had a sharp taste and Thelma said it was fruity with a hint of peach. Dan wanted to make sure we knew there were no peach pits :-p

I could not find any on-line reviews except for the wine-snob that harshly (in my opinion) reviews Grocery Outlet wines and is sometimes hard to understand if you happen to be regular people. But, this particular review is pretty funny. He clearly does not like it at first, but it becomes ‘drinkable’ to him in the end.

The label reads: Roblar Winery is committee to producing the highest quality varietals that best reflect the viticultural diversity of Santa Ynez Valley. Our logo is a symbol of our winery, our vineyards, and the meaning of our name: strength. Strength you can count on for quality and value.

The label reads: When Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are grown in regions where summer days are warm and nights are cool, the wine is full-bodied and vibrant with varietal and fruit complexities. Meticulous cellar practices promote these attributes while imparting a pleasant, long finish on the palate. The enjoyment in composing this wine can only be enhanced when gracing your table with family and friends!

Local Lodi Wine! So, what did the Porch think? Bob says the 6th glass of wine is always good. Misty thought it was a good nightcap wine. And Dan, my new favorite Dan, said, “just a couple of sips and my cough went away. Is there a grape flavored Nyquil?” Yes. Yes, there is Dan. It is not good. But, wine flavored Nyquil, Now that’s what I’m talking about! (This must’ve been the last wine that was tasted, judging not only by the comments but the notes are kinda harder to read than the rest) Somebody said warming is the word that describes this Cab and two other people agreed that it had staying power with a little heat in the front. Well worth the price – it does Lodi proud.

Wine Maker notes: “The striking appeal of this wine is the complexity of fruit and spice characters. Black cherry with hints of black olive and plum greet the palate. The wine continues with lingering notes of vanilla, cedar, and nutmeg.”

Did you read that? ‘Wildly intoxicating’ Yes, please! I checked the notes Joe took twice, nobody tasted pencil lead or earth. Terry liked the intoxicating smooth scent. Larry thought the aroma reminded him of black cherry and Misty’s chocolate cake intensifies the flavor of the wine. Joe noticed a strong smokiness and wrote in the notes that everyone really liked it. Bob commented that it had a Merlot aftertaste with a little bite. He enjoyed the bouquet, even though while swishing it around in his mouth, he got it into his nasel cavity 😦 Ah, poor Bob.

What would we do without our friends? Well, we wouldn’t have any wine reviews for this weekend and we wouldn’t have discovered the meaning of life either. So, if you haven’t already found your ‘Lucy/Ethel’ (or ‘Oscar/Felix’, as the case may be) go out into your community, get involved in something, and find them. You don’t know what you’re missing!